‘Archie is not scared of anything’: Ryan Arcidiacono earns praise from Bulls teammates for hard play

Ryan Arcidiacono is focused on his task at hand and knows he’s not in any position to rest on laurels.

But the guard admitted to taking a moment late Friday to call his father after coach Fred Hoiberg told him he would make his first NBA start Saturday.

“I thought back to starting in the G League and slowly getting a two-way (contract) to making the team to playing,” Arcidiacono said. “I had that journey that not many people take to be a player in this league. I take great pride in it.”

It showed. Not only did Arcidiacono score a career-high 15 points, he battled lottery pick Collin Sexton and continued to sacrifice his body for loose balls.

“I love all my teammates, especially Archie. He plays hard,” Jabari Parker said. “That’s a person I aspire to be and I look up to him a lot.”

Added Zach LaVine: “Archie is not scared of anything. Even if he makes a mistake, he’s doing it with effort. And he cares. … I love Arch.”

Arcidiacono, who was not a lock to make the regular-season roster, admitted he’s a different player this season after shuttling between the Bulls and G League last season on a two-way contract.

“That first Sixers game, I just felt comfortable,” he said of the season opener. “I know exactly what Fred wants. I try to be the most vocal and hardest-playing guy. Gaining guys’ respect has helped. Hearing the stuff Jabari and Zach has said gives me even more confidence.”

Arcidiacono was undrafted in 2016 after being named the NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for national champion Villanova. His first pro season was spent with the Austin Spurs of the G League.

“It’s tough for two-way players. You’re not a rental player. But you haven’t been there for everything. So you’re deferring a little bit, trying to bring hustle and defense. But I was here all summer with the guys. And I think they saw what I can do offensively. We developed some trust and they just believe in me.”

Point, counterpoint: Hoiberg said the point guard rotation would remain the same against the Mavericks. That means Shaquille Harrison backs up Arcidiacono, and Cameron Payne sits.

“I was really impressed with Shaq,” Hoiberg said. “He did a lot of intangibles. He picked up full-court, applied pressure. He got hands on balls. He had three steals, which led to breakouts. He had a great assist for a layup on a 3-on-2 break. He really provided a spark.”

School pride: Arcidiacono planned a Sunday night get-together with close friend and former Villanova teammate Jalen Brunson, who is in town with the Mavericks. Now that Arcidiacono is starting, he’ll be matched more against Dennis Smith Jr. than Brunson, the Stevenson product who is logging reserve minutes during his rookie season.

“We’re always checking box scores for each other,” Arcidiacono said of the Villanova’s NBA players, who include the Bucks’ Donte DiVincenzo, the Suns’ Mikal Bridges, the Hawks’ Omari Spellman and the Lakers’ Josh Hart.

Layups: LaVine on his 360-degree dunk against the Cavaliers: “That was nasty. I’m not focused on the highlight dunks, but I’ll break them out now and then. It’s good to be athletic sometimes.” … Hoiberg on the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, who leads all rookies with 20.3 points per game: “I love the pace that he plays with, the instincts he has, his ability to finish in the paint. His best quality is as a passer. He’s battling defensively. He has the step-back shot, the Eurostep. He’s the whole package.”